CYPRUS was yesterday in the throes of taking measures at airports and crossing-points to the north as a preventative move against the possible arrival of swine flu on the island.
Leaflets were being distributed and displayed informing travellers of the symptoms of the virus, and encouraging them to see a doctor if any possible symptoms appear.
Hermes Airports spokesman Adamos Aspris told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the airport operator has “an open channel” with the Health Ministry, and “if the Ministry decides to escalate measures, then we are prepared to take prompt action.”
EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said yesterday that seven EU states – Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland and Sweden – had reported suspected cases, but she did not see “any point of restricting travelling” at this time. This point will be discussed by EU Health Ministers tomorrow, and they will also address the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Vassiliou added that European citizens should have no fear about consuming pork and pork products, emphasising that there is absolutely no link between meat and the new flu virus.
The 15-member Cypriot dance group which was in Mexico are all well and are expected to arrive back in Cyprus today, Savvas Vladimiros, Cyprus’ Consul in Mexico, told CyBC yesterday. He said that currently there are 70-80 Cypriots in Mexico both as permanent residents and visitors, and most have been informed of the right steps to take regarding the virus. “The embassy has details of most but not all Cypriots here, so we would invite relatives of anyone in Mexico to contact us with their details”, he added.
In Nicosia, Health Minister Christos Patsalides yesterday chaired a second special meeting of Ministry officials and health specialists. The meeting decided on measures to keep the public informed, including a daily Health Ministry bulletin at 2pm starting today, and a 24-hour citizen’s telephone information line, the number of which will also be announced today.
Preparations were also put in motion for every public and private health centre to set aside space to be able to receive possible cases. A special ward has already been set up at Nicosia General Hospital. The Pharmaceutical Services has confirmed that it has available 60,000 doses of the relevant medication for treatment, with plans to procure another 20,000-25,000 doses. As this medication is not preventive, and a vaccine for the new mutated strain of swine flu will take five to six months to develop, there is no need for the public to contact a health centre unless they suspect they may have contracted the disease.
